The documents relating to this meeting are available here:

Abstracts – Article 17 seminar – 8 June 2026

AI_Act_Berlaymont_Speech_EN version_Blili-Gouyou

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Europe must go beyond mere declarations

The new US sanctions targeting Tomoko Akane, President of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, Senior Trial Lawyer, are not merely a diplomatic dispute: they undermine the very independence of international justice.

The European Union cannot be content with mere declarations of support: it must make use of the EU freezing regulation, in particular by adding the US sanctions against the ICC to its annex, whilst recognising that this tool remains limited unless accompanied by concrete measures. The AEPL therefore calls for a more practical European response: safeguarding the banking, digital and insurance services required by the Court; ensuring effective remedies; maintaining continuity of funding; engaging in diplomatic cooperation with States Parties; and responding to pressure aimed at provoking withdrawals from the Rome Statute.

We also advocate a balanced approach: supporting the ICC does not mean abandoning any critical scrutiny of it. We emphasise the need for the Court itself to set an example in terms of transparency, independence, the rights of the defence and internal accountability, particularly in light of the Karim Khan case.

We are making a three-pronged appeal: to protect the ICC from extraterritorial coercion, to strengthen cooperation under the Rome Statute, and to demand that the Court provide exemplary safeguards for the rule of law. The central idea is that credible international justice must be both independent of political powers and strictly bound by the law.

The full text of our position statement is available here: ICC sanctions – position statement (French)

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The AEPL was invited, along with other non-denominational and religious organisations, to a seminar on the theme of health in the age of AI.

Our chairman Claude WACHTELAER’s speech can be downloaded here:Presentation at the seminar on 9 June 2026

The entire seminar can be viewed online via the following link:  https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstreaming/art-17-seminar-health-and-well-being-in-age-of-artificial-intelligence-communities-tackling-isolatio_20260609-1500-SPECIAL-OTHER

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The dialogue partners under Article 17 of the TFEU were invited on 9 February 2026 to a meeting with the new programme coordinator, Ms Micaela Moua, to express their views on this new programme.

Whilst the AEPL unreservedly supports the fight against racism, it is not convinced by the EU’s strategy, which we feel sometimes muddies the debate and, in our view, is overly influenced by the influence of theories such as intersectionality and, as a result, moves away from the universalist vision that we uphold.

We have therefore reiterated the four principles we uphold:

1. Shared humanity: rejecting fragmentation

At the heart of our commitment lies the conviction that there is only one humanity, regardless of differences in skin colour, nationality, culture, religion, gender or sexual orientation. The concept of «race», which has no scientific basis, should not shape public policy. We regret that the European action plan places such a central focus on this vague notion, which risks fuelling artificial divisions and providing inappropriate responses to the real challenges of equality.

2. Shared sociality: promoting mutual enrichment

Human beings are fundamentally social: the richness of our societies lies in the diversity and quality of our relationships. To ensure harmonious relations, we must seek a consensus based on recognition not only of our differences, but also of our similarities. We warn against the rise of the essentialisation of identities, which, far from promoting social harmony, gives rise to «murderous identities» (Amin Maalouf) and threatens social cohesion.

Certain excesses, such as the condemnation of «cultural appropriation», run counter to mutual enrichment: preventing artists from other cultures from appropriating universal works would be absurd and impoverishing. Nor can collective memory be erased at the whim of sensibilities: tearing down statues or rewriting history does not resolve discrimination, but risks fuelling resentment and misunderstanding. An honest and nuanced approach to remembrance is essential.

3. Individuation: championing equality through diversity

Policy must enable everyone to assert their individuality and develop their potential, without harming others. However, the European action plan places undue emphasis on intersectionality, inspired by Judith Butler and «French Theory». Whilst it cannot be denied that some people face multiple forms of discrimination, the proliferation of particularist demands risks fragmenting society and transforming the «right to difference» into «differences in rights», to the detriment of equality and social cohesion.

Intersectionality, far from bringing people together, tends to pit minorities against one another and to multiply the grounds for outrage, sometimes over trivial matters. This approach leads to an inflation of identity-based demands, which ultimately undermines social cohesion and the effectiveness of the fight against genuine discrimination.

4. Controlled opposition: ensuring democratic debate

Conflict and differences of opinion are inherent in any vibrant society. But they must be expressed whilst respecting the common framework and the principles of open debate. We condemn the excesses of «cancel culture» and the temptation to censor any opinion that offends a group, however small that group may be. There is no such thing as the right not to be offended: the response to criticism is reasoned argument, not censorship.

Equating criticism of a religion with racism – particularly through the use of the term «Islamophobia» – is a dangerous confusion: freedom of conscience and expression entails the right to criticise all beliefs. Religious freedom, as set out in Article 9 of the ECHR, must be reconciled with the public interest and cannot be absolute.

The full text of our position statement is available here:

Anti-racism action plan POS PAPER FR def

Anti-racism action plan POS PAPER ENG def

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Commissioner Magnus BRUNNER, who is responsible for the dialogue, was accompanied by Vincent DEPAIGNE, a Commission official and the official contact for the organisations involved in the dialogue established under Article 17 of the TFEU.

The speakers were:

1. Monica BELITOIU, Board Member of Humanists International and Executive Director of the Romanian Secular Humanist Association (ASUR)
2. Patrick CAUWERT, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium
3. Martine CERF, General Secretary of EGALE – Equality and Secularism in Europe
4. Gisèle DETAILLE, President of the Organisation for the Contribution of Non-Dogmatic and Liberal Masonic Orders to European Integration (COMALACE)
5. Gary McLelland, Chief Executive of Humanists International Gary McLelland
6. Ms Liliane MIRVILLE, Grand Mistress of the Women’s Grand Lodge of France
7. Claude WACHTELAER, President of the AEPL-EU

At the meeting, the AEPL defended the following principles; the full text of our position statement can be downloaded below.

• The European Association for Free Thought (AEPL-EU) regrets the lack of direct dialogue with religious partners at the annual high-level meeting on Article 17 TFEU, believing that this undermines mutual understanding.
  • AEPL deplores the trend towards «victimisation competition» between religious groups, notably COMECE’s call for greater protection for Christians, and points out that non-believers have historically been the most persecuted.
  • The organisation has expressed reservations about the concept of «religious literacy», fearing that it may be used for indoctrination rather than pluralistic education.
  • In light of the growing polarisation of European societies, AEPL believes that increasing the number of coordinators for each religious group is a strategy doomed to failure and advocates an approach based on scientific research in social psychology.
  • The organisation warns against the risk that the fight against hate speech could be used to restrict freedom of expression and thought.
  • AEPL advocates that the State must remain impartial in order to guarantee pluralism and tolerance, and that respect must be shown to people, not to beliefs.
  • AEPL proposes that posts relating to freedom of religion or education on secularism should not necessarily be reserved for religious people, but should be open to all in order to promote dialogue and social cohesion.

Summary of the meeting

AEPL position statement: 20251201 HLM position paper (French)

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Bishops,

We have read your comments¹ concerning the "My voice, My choice" citizens' initiative on abortion. Just as we respect everyone's right to a religious opinion, we want our freedom of choice to be respected. Your injunctions are addressed exclusively to those who share your ideas. We, the signatories of this letter, respect the rights and opinions of everyone. It would be desirable if you accepted this same practice, which does not appear in your message, which lacks tolerance!

You write: "Direct abortion is gravely contrary to the moral law. This is the constant teaching of the Catholic Church".

We can in no way be affected by your dogmas or your religious morals. Living together means being tolerant and not imposing the beliefs and culture of a few on everyone. Respect your moral laws and leave us ours: freedom of choice! The moral teaching of the Catholic Church should not apply to Allunconditionally.

And further on you write: "Scientific research increasingly confirms that, from the moment of fertilisation, a new human being comes into existence, endowed with intrinsic dignity and deserving of the fundamental protection due to all human life.

It's not fair to condemn women who have abortions for disrespecting life, when you don't condemn women who have abortions for disrespecting life. not always those who send millions of men and women off to war for reasons of economic, political or religious supremacy, and you talk to us about respect for human beings, even though you have covered up for a very long time and have not often, if at all, alerted the courts to proven paedophile acts by members of the clergy...

It means missing out on fundamental respect for all human life.

As far as you are concerned, we believe that our letter will have no impact on your opinions.

But

We believe that every day that passes brings us closer to the day when men and women who wish to do so can live according to their own ideas, free from dogma. Without fear of God or the Devil.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Women who resist.

[1] Read the press release on the COMECE website

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Hedi Blili-Gouyou and Guy T'hooft

I. INTRODUCTION - THE EUROPEAN PARADOX

The dominant narrative on Europe's digital strategy has crystallised around an alarmist observation: Europe is irretrievably losing the "race to artificial intelligence". This rhetoric of predicted defeat is now shaping political debates and guiding budgetary decisions, fuelling a form of strategic fatalism. Faced with the American and Chinese ecosystems, the European Union would appear to be condemned to a subordinate role: that of a fussy regulator, incapable of generating its own technological champions, entangled in its own regulatory contradictions.

This note sets out to show that this diagnosis stems from a fundamental methodological error. It mechanically transposes to Europe success criteria forged elsewhere, without questioning their relevance or sustainability. The absence of European counterparts to OpenAI or Tencent is only a weakness if we implicitly accept that the oligopolistic concentration model represents the ultimate horizon for technological innovation.

Our central thesis turns this perspective on its head The structural characteristics of the European ecosystem - institutional fragmentation, high standards, priority given to fundamental rights - are not temporary handicaps to be overcome, but the foundations of an alternative economic model that is potentially more resilient and more profitable in the long term. Ethics are not an external brake on innovation, but an infrastructure of trust that can become a sustainable competitive advantage.[1].

This hypothesis is based on a systemic analysis of four presumed 'weaknesses' in European strategy: the absence of industrial champions, the complexity of the AI Act, the ambiguity of the 'third way', and critical technological dependencies. For each, we will show how a fresh strategic reading can identify transformative levers for action.

The stakes go far beyond economic competition. It involves Europe's ability to embody a form of technological power that does not renounce the civilisational achievements of liberal constitutionalism.[2]. No other geopolitical area bears this responsibility - or has the historical legitimacy to do so. The question is therefore not to choose between innovation and fundamental rights, but to prove empirically that one cannot exist in the long term without the other.

II. THE ABSENCE OF INDUSTRIAL CHAMPIONS: RETHINKING THE POWER MODEL

A. The classic complaint: a techno-nationalist interpretation of competitiveness

The diagnosis of the failure of the European strategy is based on a triptych of seemingly implacable arguments. Firstly, the absence of technological giants comparable to OpenAI, Google DeepMind or Anthropic points to a structural inability to mobilise the resources needed for disruptive scientific breakthroughs. Secondly, the fragmentation of the market into twenty-seven national ecosystems would prevent the emergence of the economies of scale that are essential for driving competitive foundation models. Thirdly, the chronic under-capitalisation of European start-ups - which raise on average four times less than their American counterparts at the Series B stage - would condemn European innovation to a form of congenital dwarfism.

This approach, however widespread it may be in decision-making circles, suffers from a fatal flaw: it naturalises a model of technological power - oligopolistic concentration - without questioning its hidden costs or sustainability. As the report by the European Court of Auditors (2024) points out[3]In the same vein, "performance assessment cannot be limited to quantitative indicators of market capitalisation, at the risk of missing out on the qualitative transformations of the innovation ecosystem".

B. The strategic counter-reading: monopoly vulnerabilities and distributed resilience

1. The systemic fragility of concentration

The current architecture of the global digital infrastructure is based on a dangerous paradox: almost total dependence on a small number of private players for functions of vital importance. The outage of Amazon Web Services on 7 December 2021, which lasted less than six hours, caused global economic losses estimated at €3.5 billion and paralysed essential services - from public health to air transport. This vulnerability is not cyclical but structural: it is a direct result of the concentration model that Europe is supposed to reproduce.

Conversely, a distributed ecosystem - precisely what European fragmentation spontaneously produces - generates a form of systemic resilience. The multiplication of innovation points, far from being a waste of resources, functions as a strategic redundancy. In a geopolitical context marked by increasing risks of disruption (cyber attacks, trade tensions, energy crises), this decentralised architecture represents an undervalued sovereignty asset.

2. Vertical excellence as an alternative strategy

The case of ASML, a Dutch company with a virtual world monopoly on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, empirically invalidates the 'generalist champion' thesis. The fruit of twenty-five years of patient investment - during which the company made no profit - ASML illustrates a radically different innovation trajectory to the Silicon Valley model. Its market power comes not from network effects or aggressive acquisition strategies, but from in-depth technological mastery in an ultra-specialised segment. And this approach is precisely what Europe's comparative advantages are all about: scientific excellence, cooperation between industry and research, and the capacity to invest for the very long term.

The European AI ecosystem already has this sectoral morphology: Mistral AI (sovereignty and open models), DeepL (multilingual language processing), Siemens and SAP (industrial and enterprise AI). Rather than lamenting the absence of a European Google, the strategy should aim to consolidate these vertical leadership positions, while accepting that they do not generate the same media visibility as generalist unicorns.

3. Patient capital" as a competitive weapon

The model of the German Mittelstand - family businesses with a multi-generational time horizon, investing massively in R&D without pressure for quarterly returns - offers a precedent for thinking about an AI economy that escapes the logic of rapid "exit". The European Commission, in its Action Plan for an AI Continent (2024-2025)[4]implicitly recognises this specificity by calling for "funding mechanisms adapted to the long cycles of technological maturation". However, this call remains largely programmatic.

C. Operational recommendations

Proposition 1 Create a European "Long-Term AI" investment fund, endowed with 15 billion euros over fifteen years (i.e. 1 billion euros per year), with an explicit clause prohibiting requirements for a return on investment before ten years.

This amount represents an annual investment equivalent to that currently devoted by the EU via Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme (approximately €1 billion per year according to the European Commission, 2024, etc.).[5]). However, unlike existing programmes which finance 3-5 year projects, this fund would focus exclusively on 10-15 year horizons, enabling breakthroughs in science-intensive segments where Europe can aim for world excellence: explainable AI, neuromorphic computing, optimisation under constraints. This amount is also consistent with the Coordinated Plan's objective of mobilising €20 billion a year (public + private) between now and 2030.[6] The Long-Term AI fund would contribute 5% of this objective, focusing on very long-term fundamental research.

Proposition 2 Refocus the criteria for valuing European innovation. Replace unicorn rankings - which essentially measure the ability to raise funds - with sectoral technological leadership indicators: key patents, technical standards adopted, market share in high added-value segments.

III. THE AI ACT: FROM BUREAUCRACY TO A REGULATORY WEAPON

A. The classic complaint: regulatory paralysis

The four hundred pages of the AI Act crystallise all the criticisms levelled at the "European model": Kafkaesque bureaucracy, ignorance of technical realities, unbearable extra costs for start-ups. These criticisms, amplified by the American industrial lobbies and complacently relayed by certain European analysts, build up the image of punitive regulation, designed to compensate for Europe's inability to innovate by fussy control of the innovation of others.

This representation deliberately ignores two major historical precedents. On the one hand, the same arguments were mobilised against the RGPD in 2016-2018: it was supposed to "kill the European digital economy", cause "the exodus of start-ups", and enshrine "the definitive domination of the GAFAMs". Seven years on, the RGPD has become a de facto global standard, generating a European privacy tech industry valued at €2.5 billion and forcing the American giants to make structural changes to their business models. On the other hand, the history of the European economy shows that strong standards have historically been a driver of competitiveness - from the metric system to ISO standards, not forgetting car safety standards.

B. The strategic counter-reading: the "Brussels Effect" as a power strategy

1. The RGPD effect: regulation as market infrastructure

The RGPD illustrates a mechanism of normative power that the political scientist Anu Bradford has theorised under the expression "Brussels Effect": the European Union's ability to unilaterally export its regulatory standards, transforming its internal norms into quasi global constraints. This phenomenon is based neither on military coercion nor on economic domination, but on three structural factors: the size of the European market (450 million consumers), the effect of non-divisibility (impossible for multinationals to maintain differentiated standards by jurisdiction beyond a certain threshold of complexity), and strategic anticipation by private players who prefer to adopt the most demanding standard in advance.

The AI Act has all the characteristics needed to reproduce this effect. As the Internet Policy Review (2025) notes[7]The first empirical signs confirm this trend: several American states (California, New York) are studying legislation directly inspired by the AI Act, while governments in South-East Asia are seeking technical expertise from the European Commission. The first empirical signals confirm this dynamic: several American states (California, New York) are studying legislation directly inspired by the AI Act, while governments in South-East Asia are seeking the Commission's technical expertise to develop their own regulatory frameworks.

2. Compliance as a barrier to entry and a competitive moat

The standard economic analysis of regulations presents them as dead costs, reducing margins and holding back innovation. This view systematically overlooks their function as a barrier to entry. A demanding regulatory framework penalises opportunistic players - whose business model is based on outsourcing risks - more than established players capable of internalising the costs of compliance.

A study by the IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals, 2024)[8] reveals that 67% of organisations that have integrated privacy governance into their AI strategy say they are confident about their AI Act complianceThis is a sign of an emerging competitive advantage for companies that have anticipated the regulatory requirements. This "trust premium" is becoming increasingly apparent in B2B tenders, where certification is becoming a decisive selection criterion.

On a more structural level, European certification is gradually becoming a passport for access to public contracts - worth €500 billion a year in the EU. Public tenders are increasingly systematically incorporating AI Act compliance clauses, creating a de facto captive market for European players or multinationals that have invested in compliance.

3. The hidden cost of non-regulation: the collapse of trust

The Meta/Cambridge Analytica case offers an instructive counter-factual. Between March and July 2018, the company lost up to 134 billion dollars[9] in market capitalisation at the peak of the crisis - not because of regulatory sanctions, but because of a loss of confidence on the part of advertisers and users. Recurring scandals linked to algorithmic biases (discriminatory recruitment systems, racist facial recognition, toxic chatbots) generate reputational costs that far exceed the investment required for preventive regulatory compliance.

The AI Act thus functions as collective insurance against the risk of a systemic collapse of trust. In regulated sectors with high stakes - health, justice, finance, security - the absence of a robust regulatory framework does not produce unbridled innovation, but institutional timidity. Hospitals, banks and public administrations will only adopt technologies on a massive scale if they are certified and auditable. Far from hindering the deployment of AI in these sectors, the European regulatory framework is a precondition for it.

C. Operational recommendations

Proposal 3 Transform the "Trustworthy AI" label into a European ISO standard, negotiated as a technical standard in international bodies (ISO, ITU). Mobilise European economic diplomacy to impose this standard as a prerequisite in free trade agreements.

Proposal 4 Create a one-stop compliance shop for SMEs, with a budget of 500 million over five years (i.e. 100 million euros per year).

This amount represents approximately 0.5% of the total GenAI4EU budget (€700 million according to the Commission, 2024-2025).[10]), but dedicated exclusively to helping SMEs achieve compliance. By way of comparison, the EIC Accelerator programme allocates up to €2.5 million per start-up for technological innovation; the one-stop shop would make it possible to support around 200 SMEs a year with grants of €500,000, covering auditing, certification, staff training and systems adaptation. The aim is not just to facilitate compliance, but to build a European AI audit and certification industry - an industry that can then be exported to jurisdictions adopting similar frameworks.

Proposal 5 Launch aggressive "standards diplomacy", making access to the European AI market (for non-European companies) conditional on regulatory reciprocity clauses. This strategy - already successfully employed for environmental standards - would accelerate the international dissemination of European standards.

IV. THE "THIRD WAY": SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY OR STRATEGIC IMPASSE?

A. The classic complaint: the illusion of a credible alternative

The official rhetoric of the European Union presents its AI strategy as a "third way" between American surveillance capitalism and Chinese digital authoritarianism. This formulation appeals to European political circles because it transforms a position of objective weakness - the absence of technological champions - into a distinctive ethical stance. However, strategic analysts are increasingly sceptical.

Critics are converging on the same diagnosis: this "third way" runs the risk of being nothing more than an "ethical museum" - an area of harmless virtue, producing standards without being able to enforce them, principles without the capacity to project them. Faced with massive American investment (the private sector has invested $67 billion in 2023) and Chinese strategic management (a national AI plan worth $150 billion over ten years), Europe would appear to be condemned to a role of moral commentator on transformations over which it has no control.

B. Strategic counter-reading: the emergence of a trust market

1. The underestimated scale of the demand for regulation

Eurobarometer 2024 reveals that 73% of European citizens reject the use of unregulated AI systems[11] in sensitive areas (health, justice, employment). This figure expresses not just an abstract cultural preference, but a real economic constraint: in liberal democracies, no technology can be deployed on a massive scale unless it is socially acceptable. But this constraint is not confined to Europe. The repeated scandals in the United States - from the racist facial recognition of Rekognition (Amazon) to the dangerous hallucinations of medical assistants - are generating a growing demand for regulation, including among the technological elites.

More structurally, the most dynamic economic sectors with the highest added value - precision healthcare, algorithmic finance, predictive legal systems - are precisely those where the need for regulatory compliance is greatest. In these areas, competitive advantage is not built on raw computing power or the size of datasets, but on the ability to produce systems that can be audited, explained and certified. And these attributes correspond exactly to the priorities of European research over the past fifteen years - from explainability (XAI) to formal certification, via frugal AI.

2. The 'second mover' advantage: learning from the failures of others

Strategic theory classically distinguishes the advantages of the "first mover" (capturing market share, defining standards) from those of the "second mover" (observing the mistakes of the pioneer, optimising processes). In the field of AI, Europe structurally occupies this position of second mover - not by strategic choice, but by objective lag. Rather than deploring this situation, the strategy is to take advantage of it.

The massive deployment of AI systems in the United States and China has produced an empirical body of failures from which Europe can learn: structural discriminatory biases, authoritarian drifts, security vulnerabilities, accelerated obsolescence of skills, concentration of power. European AI solutions - precisely because they incorporate ethical, security and explicability constraints right from the design stage - avoid some of these pitfalls. This qualitative difference translates into tangible competitive advantages: medical AI systems certified in Europe penetrate markets (Japan, Singapore, Canada) where unregulated American solutions come up against regulatory barriers.

3. Sovereignty through interoperability: open standards versus walled gardens

The dominant contemporary AI model is based on closed proprietary ecosystems (iOS/Android, AWS/Azure/GCP, GPT/Claude/Gemini), generating massive 'lock-in' effects. This architecture produces a form of geopolitical dependency: adopting a player's ecosystem also means accepting the jurisdiction of its country of origin and the risks of access being cut off unilaterally.

Precisely because it does not control any dominant ecosystem, Europe has an objective interest in promoting open standards and interoperability protocols. This strategy is finding increasing support from governments seeking to avoid exclusive dependence on Sino-American technologies. The strategic partnerships that Europe is forging with medium-sized powers (ASEAN, African Union, Latin America) are not based on the supply of foundation models - an area in which it cannot compete - but on the transfer of regulatory and technical capabilities enabling these countries to build their own sovereign ecosystems.

C. Operational recommendations

Proposition 6 Launch a research programme for 3 billion euros over five years (i.e. 600 million euros per year) specifically dedicated to explainable and auditable AI.

This amount represents a 40-fold increase in the current European effort on AI transparency and reliability. Indeed, Horizon Europe has allocated €112 million for AI and quantum in 2024, of which only €15 million for transparency and reliability (European Commission, 2024). The €600 million-a-year programme would enable what today appears to be a regulatory constraint to be transformed into a disruptive technological advantage: developing architectures that natively enable traceability, interpretability and formal certification. By way of comparison, this investment is still less than the GenAI4EU annual budget (€700 million), but it focuses on a technological segment in which Europe can aim for global excellence rather than compete head-on with the American foundation models.

Proposition 7 Building a strategy of partnerships with the Global South, not on the model of development aid, but as an alliance of mutual interests. Europe offers its regulatory expertise and certified technologies; its partners offer fast-growing markets and diplomatic support for the adoption of European standards in international forums.

V. STRATEGIC DEPENDENCIES: THE ACHILLES HEEL THAT HAS BECOME A MOBILISING EMERGENCY

A. The brutal facts: anatomy of a systemic vulnerability

The report by the European Court of Auditors (2024) makes an unequivocal diagnosis: Europe's digital infrastructure is critically dependent on non-European players in three key areas. Firstly, cloud computing: 70% of storage and computing capacity is available in Europe.[12] used in Europe come from three American suppliers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform). Secondly, semiconductors: 90% of the world's production of advanced chips (smaller than 7 nanometres) is concentrated in Taiwan and South Korea. Thirdly, foundation models: the entire European generative AI ecosystem depends on models developed by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta.

This triple dependence is not just a matter of economic vulnerability - it constitutes a geopolitical risk of the highest order. The semiconductor crisis of 2021, triggered by logistical disruptions linked to COVID-19, paralysed the European automotive industry for eighteen months, destroying €110 billion in added value. A military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, a unilateral decision by Washington to ban access to AI technologies for national security reasons, or a massive cyber attack on US data centres would have even more serious systemic effects.

The French Court of Auditors, in its report on the national AI strategy (2025), points out that "technological dependence also generates normative dependence: systems designed according to non-European legal logics incorporate biases and priorities that run counter to European values". This observation points to a dimension that is often overlooked: over and above material vulnerability, technological dependence erodes Europe's ability to define its own civilisational priorities in a sovereign manner.

B. The window of opportunity: transforming constraint into mobilisation

1. The post-Ukraine geopolitical awakening: from rhetoric to investment

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 produced a strategic shock comparable, in technological terms, to that of Sputnik for the United States in 1957. It brutally revealed the fragility of European supply chains and the illusion of peaceful interdependence. This shock has triggered a significant reorientation of the budget: the EuroHPC (supercomputer) programme has seen a substantial increase in its budget; the Gaia-X sovereign cloud project, moribund in 2021, has been relaunched with substantial industrial commitments.

More significantly, the European Chips Act (2023) will mobilise €43 billion.[13] to reduce Europe's dependence on semiconductors, with the aim of increasing world production from 10% to 20% by 2030. The initiative InvestAIannounced in February 2025 at the Paris Summit, marks a major qualitative breakthrough: mobilise 200 billion euros[14] for AIof which 20 billion specifically earmarked for 4-5 gigafactories[15] AI each equipped with 100,000 latest-generation chips, i.e. four times the capacity of current infrastructures.

The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, compared this project to a "CERN for AIThe aim is to create an open infrastructure that will give all European scientists and companies - not just the giants - access to the resources they need to develop cutting-edge models.

Budgetary context : According to the Coordinated AI Plan (2021), the objective was to achieve 20 billion euros a year of combined investment (public and private) between now and 2030. Until the launch of InvestAI, the Commission was investing around 1 billion euros per year via Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme. OECD-Commission estimates (2023) show that the EU had already achieved around 25.7 billion euros in annual investment[16] in 2023, exceeding the 2030 target by seven years. InvestAI aims to multiply this effort by 10 over the next five years.

European economic history shows that major technological leaps are often the result of prior humiliations. Airbus was born of the realisation in the 1960s that total dependence on Boeing was an unacceptable vulnerability. Fifty years and €1,000 billion of public and private investment later, Airbus holds 50% of the world civil aviation market. This precedent shows that a long-term European industrial strategy, adequately resourced and politically supported, can produce world champions - provided we accept time horizons that are incompatible with electoral cycles.

2. Differentiating technological bets: selective sovereignty

The natural temptation, in the face of identified dependencies, is to aim for total self-sufficiency - an ambition that is as illusory as it is ineffective. No economy, not even Chinese or American, masters the entire technological value chain. The relevant strategy is one of "selective sovereignty": identifying three or four critical technological segments in which Europe can reasonably aim for global excellence, and accepting dependence in the other areas, managing it by diversifying suppliers.

Three technological bets seem particularly promising. Firstly, frugal AI and edge computing: in the face of the energy crisis and climate constraints, the ability to train and deploy high-performance models with limited computational resources is becoming a major competitive advantage. European research in this area (notably the PRAIRIE Institute in Paris and the ELLIS Network) is at the forefront of the world. Secondly, quantum computing: the technological race is still on, and Europe has considerable scientific assets (40% of world publications). Thirdly, specialised semiconductors for AI: rather than trying to catch up with Taiwan on generalist chips, Europe can aim for excellence on specific architectures (neuromorphic computing, processors dedicated to explainable AI).

3. Strategic alliances: diversifying to reduce dependency

Reducing dependency involves not only relocation, but also the geographical diversification of partners. It is in Europe's interest to forge technological alliances with medium-sized powers that share its concerns about sovereignty: Japan (semi-conductors, robotics), South Korea (electronics), Israel (cybersecurity) and Canada (ethical AI). These partnerships enable us to pool R&D costs, gain access to complementary skills and reduce our bilateral dependence on the United States or China.

The CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) model offers an institutional precedent: a collectively funded fundamental research infrastructure, operating over multi-decade timeframes, and having generated massive economic spin-offs (the web itself was invented at CERN). The InvestAI, explicitly compared to a "CERN for AI".The aim is to create a shared, open and collaborative infrastructure that will give the entire European ecosystem - researchers, start-ups, SMEs and large companies - access to the computational resources they need to develop cutting-edge AI models.

C. Operational recommendations

Proposal 8 Identify formally three technologies critical to European AI sovereignty (e.g. quantum computing, frugal AI, neuromorphic semiconductors) and y concentrate 70% of public investment in R&D IA.

Justification The Coordinated Plan is targeting €20 billion a year in combined investment between now and 2030, including around €7 billion from European public sources (Commission + Member States). Concentrating 70% of this public envelope (i.e. around €5 billion per year) on 3-4 critical technologies would make it possible to achieve sufficient critical mass to aim for global excellence in these segments, rather than dispersing resources across the entire technological spectrum. This strategic focus breaks with the current dispersal of resources and is inspired by the Japanese model of sector concentration.

Proposal 9 Negotiate bilateral technology partnerships with Japan and South Korea, explicitly aimed at reducing mutual dependence on the USA and China. These partnerships should include technology transfer and co-development clauses, not just trade agreements.

Proposal 10 : Consolidating the initiative InvestAI as a permanent infrastructure of European AI sovereignty, based on the CERN model.

InvestAI is already mobilising €200 billion (€50 billion from the EU public sector + €150 billion from the private sector via European AI Champions), including €20 billion specifically for 4-5 gigafactories. This initiative should become a permanent structure - a "European AI Infrastructure Corporation" - bringing together the Member States, the EIB and industrial partners. Its mission: to build and operate the strategic computing infrastructures and datasets required for European sovereignty, while making them available to the research ecosystem and start-ups. The governance model should be inspired by CERN (annual budget of €1.3 billion, funded by 23 Member States over the past 70 years): collective funding, multi-decade horizon, open access for the entire European scientific and industrial community.

VI. CONCLUSION - THE ENFORCEMENT IMPERATIVE

Summary: from constraint to advantage

This note has shown that the four structural 'weaknesses' of the European strategy - absence of champions, regulatory complexity, ambiguity of the third way, technological dependence - are the result of a mistaken diagnosis. They are handicaps only in relation to a model of technological power - American oligopolistic concentration - whose economic, social and democratic sustainability is increasingly contested.

The European distributed ecosystem is generating systemic resilience in the face of shocks. Far from paralysing innovation, the AI Act is building an infrastructure of trust that can become a sustainable competitive advantage, via the "Brussels Effect". The "third way" corresponds to a growing global demand for technologies that comply with democratic standards. Finally, strategic dependencies have triggered unprecedented budgetary and political mobilisation - illustrated by InvestAI and its €200 billion - opening up the possibility of technological leaps in high added-value niches.

Ethics are not an external brake on innovation, but an infrastructure for competitiveness. In high added-value sectors such as health, finance, justice and security, the ability to produce systems that can be audited, explained and certified is a sine qua non for deployment. And these attributes are precisely what European research has been focusing on for the past fifteen years.

The fatal risk: indecision

The danger is not the European model itself, but our collective inability to fully embrace it. For twenty years, Europe's digital strategy has oscillated between two contradictory temptations: mimicking the American model ("creating unicorns") and asserting its difference ("ethics first"), without ever really choosing. This strategic indecision produces the worst of both worlds: neither the financial clout of the US, nor the consistency of standards needed to project the European model.

The choice is not between copying others or making our own way - that's a false dilemma. What is urgently needed is to move from a regulatory framework, now established with the AI Act, to coordinated industrial action. This implies three breaks. Firstly, accepting massive public investment in strategic infrastructures - InvestAI is a case in point - and assuming that technological sovereignty has a cost, albeit less than the cost of dependence. Secondly, impose strategic discipline: concentrate resources on three or four technological bets (70% of public R&D), instead of scattering budgets over the whole spectrum. Thirdly, build an aggressive standards diplomacy, transforming the AI Act into a weapon of commercial conquest rather than a self-inflicted handicap.

Resolving the apparent tension: open standards and concentrated sovereignty

This strategy may seem paradoxical: on the one hand, promoting interoperability and open standards (Proposal 7); on the other, massively concentrating investment on a few critical technologies (Proposals 8-10). But in reality, these two axes are complementary rather than contradictory.

Open standards and interoperability are our geopolitical offering This is what Europe is offering the rest of the world to avoid the Sino-American walled garden. This is our comparative advantage in technological diplomacy. By promoting open protocols, interoperable architectures and shared datasets, Europe is positioning itself as a credible alternative for all players - governments, businesses, researchers - seeking to avoid exclusive dependence on proprietary American or Chinese ecosystems.

Conversely, the concentration of investment in 3-4 critical technologies is a matter of selective sovereignty. Identify the segments where dependence would be strategically unacceptable (quantum computing, specialised semiconductors, frugal AI, explainable AI) and build real autonomy. It's not a question of total self-sufficiency - a costly and ineffective pipe dream - but of mastering the technologies that determine our ability to define our own rules of the game.

The key is that these sovereign technologies must themselves respect our own standards of openness.. In other words : sovereignty in capacities, openness in protocols. ASML, our paradigmatic example, is a perfect illustration of this synthesis: technological monopoly (sovereignty) in an open, international ecosystem (interoperability). Similarly, InvestAI aims to create European gigafactories (computational sovereignty) while guaranteeing open access to the entire scientific and industrial ecosystem (open standards).

This dialectic between strategic concentration and systemic openness is not a contradiction, but our unique value proposition: offering the world an alternative to the dominant closed models, while guaranteeing our autonomy in critical segments. It is precisely this synthesis that can transform Europe's "third way" from a rhetorical aspiration into a geopolitical reality.

The civilisational challenge: historical responsibility

Beyond economic competition, Europe's AI strategy raises a fundamental question of political philosophy: can a technologically advanced society sustainably preserve the achievements of liberal constitutionalism - the rule of law, separation of powers, protection of minorities, individual autonomy? Or does technological progress necessarily imply, as some authoritarian theorists maintain, a weakening of democratic constraints in the name of efficiency?

Europe alone bears the burden of proving empirically that the first option is viable. Neither the United States - where AI regulation is largely left to corporate self-regulation - nor China - where AI explicitly serves social control objectives - can embody this synthesis between technological innovation and fundamental rights. This responsibility stems directly from European history: it was in Europe that individual freedoms (habeas corpus, freedom of expression) and the industrial revolution were invented simultaneously. It was in Europe in the twentieth century that the gamble of democratic regulation of economic power was taken. It was in Europe that the institutions of liberal constitutionalism survived the totalitarian catastrophes.

This historical legitimacy gives rise to a strategic obligation: to demonstrate that ethics and innovation are not antagonistic, but mutually constitutive. Europe's failure in AI would not just be an economic defeat - it would signal the impossibility of a technological modernity that respects human rights, thereby validating authoritarian theses on the incompatibility between democracy and technological efficiency.

So the final question is not a technical one, but a political one. Does the European Union have the collective will to transform these potential assets into real power? Does it have the strategic discipline to stay the course over the next twenty years, regardless of electoral changes and tensions between Member States? Can it overcome the temptation to turn inwards to build the common infrastructures that are essential to continental sovereignty?

These are not issues for forward-looking analysis - they call for immediate political decisions. The time for strategic thinking is over. Now is the time for execution. History will judge Europe not on the quality of its principles, but on its ability to embody them in durable technological institutions. Our generation bears responsibility for this verdict.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

European Commission (2025). A European approach to artificial intelligence. Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technologies. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/fr/policies/european-approach-artificial-intelligence

European Commission (2024-2025). Action plan for an AI continent. https://france.representation.ec.europa.eu/informations/intelligence-artificielle-la-commission-propose-un-nouveau-plan-daction-pour-renforcer-son-2025-04-09_fr

European Commission (2025). GenAI4EU: Funding opportunities to boost Generative AI "made in Europe. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/genai4eu

European Commission (2024). New Horizon Europe Funding Boosts European Research in AI and Quantum Technologies. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/new-horizon-europe-funding-boosts-european-research-ai-and-quantum-technologies

European Commission (2025). EU launches InvestAI initiative to mobilise €200 billion of investment in artificial intelligence. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-launches-investai-initiative-mobilise-eu200-billion-investment-artificial-intelligence

European Court of Auditors (2024). Special report on artificial intelligence in the EU. https://www.eca.europa.eu/fr/publications/sr-2024-08

French Court of Auditors (2025). The national strategy for artificial intelligence: consolidating successes. https://www.ccomptes.fr/fr/publications/la-strategie-nationale-pour-lintelligence-artificielle-consolider-les-succes-de-la

IAPP - International Association of Privacy Professionals (2024). AI Governance and Regulatory Confidence Survey.

Internet Policy Review (2025). "Brussels Effect or Experimentalism? Understanding EU AI Regulation." Journal of European Public Policy14(2). https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/brussels-effect-or-experimentalism

OECD (2025). Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (Volume 1): Member States' Actions. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/progress-in-implementing-the-european-union-coordinated-plan-on-artificial-intelligence-volume-1_533c355d-en.html

OECD & European Commission (2025). Advancing the measurement of investments in artificial intelligence. https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/measuring-ai-investment-new-oecd-ec-methodology

[1] Bradford, A. (2020), The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the WorldOxford University Press.

[2] Acemoglu, D. and Johnson, S. (2023), Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and ProsperityPublic Affairs.

[3] European Court of Auditors (2024), Special report on artificial intelligence in the EULuxembourg. https://www.eca.europa.eu/fr/publications/sr-2024-08

[4] European Commission (2024-2025), Action plan for an AI continent. https://france.representation.ec.europa.eu/informations/intelligence-artificielle-la-commission-propose-un-nouveau-plan-daction-pour-renforcer-son-2025-04-09_fr

[5] European Commission (2025), A European approach to artificial intelligence. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/fr/policies/european-approach-artificial-intelligence

[6] OECD (2024), OECD AI Principles: Turning from Aspiration to ActionOECD Digital Economy Papers. https://www.oecd.org/digital/artificial-intelligence/

[7] Internet Policy Review (2025), "Brussels Effect or Experimentalism? Journal of European Public Policyvol. 14, no. 2. https://doaj.org/article/c45f5940910c487dab59787b2a907062

[8] IAPP (2024), AI Governance and Regulatory Confidence Survey.

[9] Meta/Facebook public financial data, March-July 2018.

[10] European Commission (2025), GenAI4EU: Funding opportunities. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/genai4eu

[11] Eurobarometer 2024, European Commission data.

[12] IT for Business, "Digital sovereignty: cloud, AI agents and dependencies". https://www.itforbusiness.fr/souverainete-numerique-cloud-agents-ia-et-dependances-99757

[13] European Chips Act (2023), European Commission.

[14] European Commission (2025), EU launches InvestAI initiative. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-launches-investai-initiative-mobilise-eu200-billion-investment-artificial-intelligence

[15] European Commission (2025), InvestAI announcement, Paris Summit.

[16] OECD (2025), Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/progress-in-implementing-the-european-union-coordinated-plan-on-artificial-intelligence-volume-1_533c355d-en.html

The post Une stratégie pour l’IA de l’UE : transformer les contraintes en avantages compétitifs ! appeared first on Association Européenne de la Pensée Libre.

Key message: abortion is not an opinion, it's a right. The ECLJ and its allies want to restrict women's freedoms in the name of religious morality. Yet science, European law and the majority of citizens support abortion as a fundamental right. The real question is not "pro-life" or "pro-choice", but: do we want a Europe where women are free to decide about their bodies? Or a Europe where religious lobbies impose their dogmas on everyone? Let's take action to make the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "My Voice, My Choice" a reality!

AEPL's arguments

a) The European Citizens' Initiative "My Voice, My Choice": a movement for women's autonomy

L'European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "My Voice, My Choiceregistered in April 2024, is a historic movement spearheaded by over 300 feminist and human rights organisations across Europe. Its aim: guarantee access to safe, legal and accessible abortion in all EU Member States. The ECI collected more than one million valid signatures, well over the threshold required to be examined by the European Commission.

This initiative is a response to the glaring inequalities in access to abortion in Europe. In some countries, such as Poland and Malta, legal restrictions force thousands of women to resort to clandestine abortions or to travel abroad, often in precarious and expensive conditions. "My Voice, My Choice" calls on the EU to set up a financial support mechanism to enable women to have access to safe abortions, in accordance with national legislation, and to making abortion a fundamental rightprotected by the European institutions.

The organisers, includingSlovenian Institute on 8 Marchemphasise the importance of a global approach These include sex education, free access to contraception and strong social policies to reduce recourse to abortion. Their message is clear: women's bodily autonomy is non-negotiable. The European Commission's response is expected by 2 March 2026.

b) The ECLJ's freedom-destroying activities: who are these ultra-conservatives?

The European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1998 and affiliated to theAmerican Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)an American conservative evangelical legal lobby. Led by Grégor Puppinck and Jay Alan Sekulow (Donald Trump's former lawyer), the ECLJ presents itself as a defender of "human rights" and "human dignity", but its agenda is clearly anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage and anti-euthanasia.

What you need to know

• Grégor Puppinck French lawyer, Director General of the ECLJ, known for his[1] for his stance against abortion, PMA for homosexual couples and "gender theory". He defends a vision naturalist and Christian of law, as opposed to moral relativism.
• Jay Alan Sekulow : American lawyer, founder of the ACLJ, close to[2] conservative evangelical circles. He has appeared before the US Supreme Court to defend religious causes.
• Financing : The ECLJ is funded primarily by the ACLJ, which raises millions of dollars from American evangelical donors. In 2019, the ACLJ contributed more than $1 million to the ECLJ.

Their anti-abortion lobbying

The ECLJ is conducting a aggressive campaign against abortion in Europe, organising conferences, publishing reports and appearing before the European Court of Human Rights. European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Their strategy is based on :

• Manipulating testimonies At a conference at the European Parliament in October 2025, the ECLJ invited women to talk about their "post-abortion suffering", citing a 2020 IFOP survey which found that 92 % of women would say that abortion leaves traces that are difficult to live with. However, this study is disputed by the scientific community for its lack of methodological rigour.
• Promoting pro-birth policies ECLJ: ECLJ praises the policies of Hungary and Italy, where financial aid is granted to families, but it does not consider that these policies are sufficiently effective. without guaranteeing women's autonomy. Their aim: abolish European funding for pro-IVG programmes and redirect these funds to "alternatives to abortion".
• Influencing MEPs At their conference, eight MEPs (including members of the EPP and ECR) supported their positions, demonstrating their commitment to the cause. ability to influence institutions.

Misleading and dangerous rhetoric

The ECLJ describes abortion as an "ideological trap" and an "act that is always traumatic". And yet, data from the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics show that the majority of women feel a relief after an abortion, especially when the decision is free and accompanied. Their rhetoric aims to making women feel guilty and restrict their rightsunder the guise of "protecting life".

c) Abortion, a fundamental right recognised by the European Union

L'Voluntary termination of pregnancy is a fundamental rightprotected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and European case law.

Legal bases

1. Human dignity (Article 1) The right to bodily autonomy is a pillar of dignity. Just as forcing a woman to have an abortion when she doesn't want to, forcing a woman to continue an unwanted pregnancy is a violation of her human dignity. violation of his physical and mental integrity.
2. Right to physical and mental integrity (Article 3) : Abortion protects women from the risks of unwanted pregnancy or clandestine abortion.
3. Respect for privacy (Article 7) : The decision to have an abortion is an intimate one. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) confirmed on several occasions that access to abortion is an essential protected right (judgment Tysiącz v. Poland, 2007).
4. Gender equality (Article 23) Refusing abortion exacerbates inequalities by limiting women's autonomy.
5. Non-discrimination (Article 21) : Restrictions on abortion discriminate against women in precarious situations who do not have the means to travel abroad.
6. Right to health (Article 35) : The WHO considers abortion to be a essential health service. Countries where abortion is legal have lower maternal mortality rate.

International recognition

• La CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) encourages governments to guarantee access to abortion.
• L'WHO points out that legalising abortion reduces maternal mortality by 70 %.

Conclusion : Abortion is not a "privilege", but a "right". fundamental human rightprotected by European and international law.

d) Counter-arguments to the ECLJ's ideas: scientific and legal reality

The ECLJ uses Emotional and biased arguments to discredit abortion. Here's why their theses are unfounded :

1. "Abortion is always traumatic".

• Reality : Serious studies (WHO, Social Science & Medicine2018) show that relief is more frequent than regret. Post-abortion suffering is often linked to the social stigmanot the act itself.
• Methodological bias : The studies cited by the ECLJ (like the IFOP study) are unrepresentative and oriented. A 2018 meta-analysis concludes that women who have abortions do not have no greater risk of mental health problems than those who carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.

2. "Abortion denies the rights of the unborn child".

• Legal reality International law (ECHR, New York Convention) does not recognise the legal personality of the foetus before birth. The European Court recalled that women's autonomy comes first (A, B and C v. Ireland, 2010).
• Gradual approach European legislation (France, Belgium, Germany) recognises the growing rights of the foetus. without denying those of women.

3. "Pro-choice movements play down women's suffering".

• Reality The pro-choice movement do not deny the complexity abortion, but defend a woman's right to a safe and decide without stigma. Countries where abortion is legal and supported (Netherlands, Sweden) have fewer complications and fewer regrets than those where it is restricted.

4. "We need to fund alternatives to abortion".

• Reality Family support policies (benefits, parental leave, etc.) are a major source of support for families. necessary but insufficient. In Poland, where abortion is highly restricted, the number of illegal abortions remains high.
• Methodological bias Reducing recourse to abortion is based on three pillars: a) sex education, b) access to contraception, and c) strong social policies (housing, employment, childcare).

5. "Public money must not fund abortion".

• Reality : The EU cannot impose a single policy, but it must guarantee access to care. European funds finance global reproductive healthwhich reduce the number of abortions.

Conclusion : The ECLJ's arguments are based on selective data, biased legal interpretations, and a moralistic view of the world. sexuality. Their aim: restricting women's rights under the guise of "protecting life".

e) The decision to have an abortion belongs to women, not to clergy or partners

Bodily autonomy is a inalienable right. Here's why the decision to have an abortion must be yours for pregnant women only :

1. Bodily autonomy: a fundamental principle

• International law The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 3) protects physical integrity and personal freedom. Pregnancy requires major physical, psychological and social changes to the woman.
• Exclusive liability The risks (complications, maternal mortality) and consequences (mental burden, parental responsibility) weigh heavily on the mother's health. only on women.

2. The role of men: support, not decision-making

• Men can express their opinionbut cannot decide the place of women.
• Example In France, the Veil law (1975) recognised that "no woman has recourse to abortion out of the blue", but that banning it worsens suffering.

3. Criticism of religious interference

• Biblical biases : The sacred texts (Bible, Koran) were written in different languages. patriarchal contexts. For example, the Old Testament does not deal with abortion from the point of view of the woman's consent or right, but rather as a damage to the husband's property.
• Historical control Religious institutions have often served to controlling women's sexualitylimiting their freedom in the name of imposed morality.

4. Equality and social justice

• Worsening inequalities : Banning abortion penalises poor women who cannot afford to travel abroad.
• Example In the United States, following the cancellation of Roe v. WadeIn restrictive states, illegal abortions have increased.

Conclusion : The decision to have an abortion is a question of dignity, freedom and justice. Women must be able to choose without religious or male interference.

f) Religious dogmas: unverifiable hypotheses, not universal truths

The ECLJ's arguments are based on religious dogmaswhich are unproven assumptionsnot scientific facts.

1. Dogmas: statements that cannot be falsified

• Lack of empirical evidence No proof confirms the existence of a god or divine revelation. Believers invoke "faith", which places these beliefs at the heart of their beliefs. outside the scope of reason.
• Burden of proof In logic, it is up to the person who asserts the existence of God to prove it (Ockham's razor).

2. Sacred texts: human works, not divine words

• Historical background : The Bible and the Koran were written by men, in different cultures. patriarchal and slave societies. Their laws reflect standards of their timenot a universal moral.
• Factual errors These texts contain descriptions of the world now refuted by science (flat earth, creationism).

3. Separation of state and church: a necessity for peaceful coexistence

• State neutrality : In a pluralist society, imposing religious dogma to all is unjust. The separation of State and Church guarantees that laws are based on reason and democratic debatenot on questionable revelations.
• Principle : The separation of State and Church allows everyone to live according to their convictions without imposing them on others.

Conclusion Religious dogmas are cultural buildingsThey are not universal truths. They should not dictate the laws of a secular society.

g) Two-way tolerance: lay people do not censor the ECLJ

Unlike the ECLJ, which seeks to impose your religious values to all defenders of secularism are not calling for a ban on Christian dogma. They are simply asking that :

• Religious beliefs remain in the private sphere.
• Laws should be based on universal principles (human rights, equality, science), not dogma.

Example : No one is stopping the ECLJ from teaching its beliefs, but no one is stopping the ECLJ from teaching its beliefs, but no one is stopping the ECLJ from teaching its beliefs. impose these beliefs to those who do not share them.

Conclusion : True tolerance is accept that everyone should live according to their own convictions, without imposing them on others.

Summary of AEPL's arguments

This is why abortion must remain a fundamental right in the European Union:

1. "My Voice, My Choice A historic European Citizens' Initiative, backed by 300 organisations, to guarantee access to abortion safe, legal and financed throughout the EU. Over a million signatures have forced the European Commission to take a decision by March 2026.
2. The ECLJ, a dangerous anti-abortion lobby Funded by American evangelical donors, this group uses biased testimoniesand non-scientific studiesand a influence strategy with MEPs to restrict abortion. Their aim: abolish public funding for abortion and impose coercive birth policies.
3. Abortion, a right protected by the EU The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights recognises abortion as a right linked to the right to life. dignity, l'bodily autonomythe privacyand the health. The ECHR and the WHO confirm that legalising abortion saves lives.
4. The ECLJ's arguments are unfounded :

• False : Abortion is said to be "always traumatic". Reality The majority of women experience relief (WHO, 2021).
• False Abortion "denies the rights of the foetus". Reality International law protects women's autonomy first and foremost (ECHR, 2010).
• False The only thing that would suffice would be "family support policies". Reality Without sex education and access to contraception, these policies fail (e.g. Poland).

5. The decision belongs to women, not the clergy : Bodily autonomy is a human right. Religious texts written in patriarchal societies, cannot dictate the laws of a secular Europe.
6. Religious dogmas are not scientific truths : They are based on unverifiable hypotheses. A democratic society must base its laws on reason, not faith.
7. Tolerance works both ways Secularists are not calling for the ECLJ's beliefs to be banned, but they are refusing to allow them to be used as a pretext for their own religious beliefs. are binding on all.

Guy T'hooft, Past President of the AEPL

[1] https://genethique.org/author/gregor-puppinck
[2] Le monde diplomatique, "Évangéliques en France, chronique d'un essor politique", December 2024.

The post Plaidoyer pour la liberté fondamentale d’avorter (Contre les idées liberticides de l’ECLJ) appeared first on Association Européenne de la Pensée Libre.

I am here at the request of theEuropean Free Thought Association [AEPL] as aexpert in housing assistanceand as Chairman of the association Solidarité Logement.

Solidarité Logement is a non-profit association established under Belgian law in 2009. Its aim is to provide housing for two target audiences very much in line with today's issues :

• the young people aged 16 to 25 who are experiencing difficult transitions to independence, often with broken family ties, vulnerable and without resources; and
• the isolated womenThese women, with or without children, are even more precarious and vulnerable when they have been subjected to physical and psychological violence.

The real specificity of our association is to literally create housing for these beneficiaries. On this subject, let me digress for a moment to say how much I agree with Mr Gonçalvez, who spoke without the first panel and who insisted on renovating the existing housing stock, which is insalubrious and/or unoccupied, as opposed to constructing new buildings. In the 15 years of our existence, we have created more than 50 housing units for around 200 beneficiaries a year. Once the housing units have been made available, we work with specialist associations to support our beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are selected according to ethical criteria and total neutrality.

As our association is only active in Belgium, I have gathered information from a number of sources in order to put today's intervention at the level of the European Union. One of these sources is a document issued by the European Commission last year.

These are :

Social Housing and beyond.

An operational toolkit on the use of EU funds for investments in social housing and associated services".

This document, published under the aegis of Nicolas Schmit, then European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, is very comprehensive and stresses the following points the importance of services associated with the social housing dynamic. He makes a very useful observation for today's debate. It can be summarised as follows:

• House prices in the European Union rose by 48% between 2010 and 2023,
• Rental income amounted to 23%,
• In 2022, 8.7% of the Union's population spent 40% (or more) of their income on housing,
• At the same time, inflation and rising interest rates have had a considerable impact on rents and mortgages,
• Unaffordable housing in turn has an impact on social inclusion and participation in education and the labour market.

While the primary responsibility for investment policies in affordable social housing lies with the Member States, it is no less true that EU policy and funding instruments have a significant impact on the housing ecosystem in general and social housing in particular.

The document sets out a range of measures to promote social and affordable housing for the period 2021-2027. To this end, it reviews all the EU funds available to support investment in social housing and related services over this period. We can certainly not say that the Union is taking the subject lightly Between the European Regional Development Fund and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, no fewer than 9 plans and programmes are directly or indirectly relevant to the issues we are dealing with. These funds and programmes are all financed by the EU budget, but differ in the way they are managed. There are three types of management:

• Direct management: EU funding is managed directly by the European Commission,
• shared management: the Commission and the national authorities jointly manage funding; and finally
• indirect management: funding is managed by partner organisations or other authorities within or outside the EU.

Secondly, this document analyses in detail no less than 19 projects and actions that have been carried out as part of the 2014-2020 programme, some of which are still being implemented or expanded. What has caught our attention is that these projects have been categorised along two axes:

• approach based on geographical locationThe focus is more on the territorial aspect;
• the person-based approach: the focus is placed on a single target group very specific.

Our experience on the ground shows that the two main factors in the success of our action - apart, of course, from the creation of housing - are :

• deliberately focusing on a well-defined target audience. With insecurity everywhere and of all kinds, it is imperative that we stay within the scope of our corporate purpose.
• support for beneficiaries until they are fully independent, provided by specialist associations in the same public of beneficiaries (young people in difficulty, women, single people, migrants, MENA, etc.). Commissioner Brunner said this earlier, but it's important to repeat again and again that social housing is not just about bricks.

To illustrate this, I'll take one of the 19 projects mentioned above. This is a project at Antwerp in 2017-2019. This involves the co-housing of young unaccompanied refugees, particularly those who reach adulthood (17-22 years) and lose the accommodation allocated to them as minors. This operation was a great success (75 co-housing units at an average rent of €250 for a period of 1 to 3 years) because - among other things - :

• The project went further than pure accommodation: co-housing with young Flemish people from Antwerp, education and language courses, social networking, psychological counselling and access to employment;
• it was supported by a number of recognised local associations active in the empowerment sectors mentioned above.

In our opinion, this project could be taken as a model for the future because it combines all the factors for success.

I would like to make it clear that our association was not involved in this project.

By way of conclusion, and perhaps I should have started my speech there, if we are all equal before the law (I remind you of the European Convention on Human Rights), the same is clearly not true when it comes to housing. Let's all work together to reduce this inequality.

Thank you for your attention,

Didier Giblet

Chairman of Solidarité Logement

Housing expert for AEPL

The post Logement dans l’UE : Stratégies pour les personnes, les familles et les jeunes générations appeared first on Association Européenne de la Pensée Libre.

Each year the Commission adopts its work programme, which lists the new policies and legislative initiatives it will propose to the legislative and budgetary authority, the European Parliament and the Council, during the year. This work programme shows how the political guidelines and mission statements sent by President von der Leyen to each member of the Commission will be implemented during the first year.

Adopted on 11 February 2025, this programme is then presented to the plenary session of the European Parliament and to the General Affairs Council. On the basis of this work programme and the priorities of the other institutions, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission draw up a joint declaration on the legislative priorities of the European Union (EU) for 2025 and joint conclusions on these priorities.

This year, the Commission will focus on :

1. Sustainable prosperity and competitiveness;
2. Strengthening defence and security ;
3. Supporting people and strengthening our societies and our social model;
4. Preserving our quality of life;
5. Protecting democracy and defending our values;
6. Use its power and partnerships around the world;
7. Preparing our union for the future.

The work programme is the result of close cooperation between the European Parliament, the Member States and the Council and advisory bodies of the EU (Committees of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee). It examines the areas in which the Commission will present new initiatives, withdraw pending proposals and review existing EU legislation.

This year's programme has a strong focus on simplification. The Commission intends to simplify EU rules, facilitate their implementation and reduce administrative burdens. The work programme is accompanied by a communication containing objectives and tools designed to lighten the regulatory burden and bring about rapid and significant improvements for citizens and businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Commission is presenting three series of omnibus proposals simplifying various legislative acts, as well as a record number of initiatives with a strong simplification dimension. The former will contribute to achieving the objective of reducing administrative burdens by at least 25 % and by at least 35 % for SMEs. They also include an annual plan for quality assessments and evaluations to ensure the continuity of the simplification and burden reduction exercise.

The next two omnibus proposals will focus on simplifying investment, and the third on simplifying regulatory reporting requirements for small and mid-cap companies and eliminating the paper format.

A package of simplification measures will be proposed for the CAP, the Common Agricultural Policy.

The Commission's work programme proposes 51 new policy initiatives and 18 legislative proposals, 11 of which have a significant simplification dimension. A stock of 123 previous proposals remain to be examined by the Parliament and the Council, but 41 have been withdrawn as they have become obsolete or have no prospect of adoption.

The main priorities of the work programme are as follows:

1. Ensuring sustainable prosperity and competitiveness

This objective includes a number of initiatives and legislative proposals, which are mentioned below.

The competitiveness compass already proposed aims to tackle the structural problems that hamper European competitiveness: an unstable global environment characterised by unfair competition, fragile supply chains, rising energy costs, labour and skills shortages and limited access to capital.

A strategy for modernising the single market will be proposed to facilitate the cross-border supply of goods and services and fair and effective labour mobility.

The pact for a propre, also already proposed, is at the heart of the decarbonisation, sustainability and competitiveness project. It will help to achieve the objectives of the Green Pact for Europe. At the same time an action plan to make energy more affordablefor Europe will also be proposed. This will include a new framework for state aid and boost investment in clean energy. A roadmap will aim to put an end to Russian energy imports. The Commission will also present a 2025 indicative nuclear programme and a strategic plan for small modular reactors (SMRs) to support the acceleration of their deployment.

An action plan is planned for the chemical industry, with a targeted review of the applicable rules (REACH regulation) with a view to simplifying them.

A master plan will be proposed to move towards a Savings and Investment Union and create an internal capital market.

The Commission will also seek to harness the potential of data and information technology to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and propose a strategy to stimulate biotechnologies. It will also present an investment plan for sustainable transport including a strategic framework to support sustainable fuel production and distribution.

Legislation on digital networks and the development of cloud computing will also be presented.

With the quantum strategy regulation, the world's leading position in this critical sector should be maintained, in particular with the strategy to strengthen Europe's quantum capacities. quantum technology research and developmentand produce devices and systems based on it.

With the European Business Wallet Business-to-business exchanges and exchanges with public authorities should open up new business opportunities.

Finally, the Commission will present space legislation to make the most of the benefits of the space economy.

2. Strengthening security and defence

As for European defence, this is becoming a matter of urgency in the face of the Russian threat to extend its claims beyond Ukraine in order to pick up the pieces lost when the former Soviet Union broke up.

This new defence area, the subject of the White Paper on the future of European defence, recently presented by the Commission to launch a wide-ranging consultation on establishing a European framework for defence investment needs, is accompanied by several other proposals in the field of security: a strategy for the EU crisis preparedness a strategy to prepare measures for dealing with the  threats to public health to reduce our dependence on external supplies critical medicines for the stockpiling of these drugs; for combat arms and drug trafficking, to improve cyber security hospitals ; protecting submarine cables telecommunications; ...

The Commission will also continue its efforts to implementing the Pact on Migration and AsylumThis includes the return of illegal immigrants.

3. Supporting people and strengthening our societies and our social model

The Commission will continue to strengthen social equity, with a new action plan for implementation of the european socle of social rights ;  Skills Union will tackle skills and labour shortages, ensuring that businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need to boost their productivity and competitiveness. It will also work to ensure that education and training systems have the right tools to prepare Europeans of all generations for a rapidly changing future, through high quality, inclusive education, training and lifelong learning, as well as through guaranteeing quality jobs with decent working conditions, high health and safety standards and collective bargaining.

The next consumer 2025-2030 will include a new action plan for consumers in the single market, guaranteeing a balanced approach that protects consumers without imposing excessive administrative burdens on businesses.

4. Preserving our quality of life: agriculture, food safety, water and nature

Europe needs a secure and affordable supply of high-quality local food produced in a socially and environmentally sustainable way, offering farmers a fair and sufficient income, guaranteeing the long-term competitiveness of European agriculture and respecting and protecting the natural environment.

Based on the results of the strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, the Commission will present a vision for agriculture and food in order to guarantee a stable framework for farmers and a long-term perspective for economic operators, including farmers, fishermen, SMEs and other players in the food chain.

The oceans and seas play an important role in Europe's prosperity and security, not least through their unique ability to regulate the climate as the planet's primary carbon sink. It is essential to take action to preserve the oceans, both now and for future generations. The pact for the oceans will create a single frame of reference for all policies relating to the oceans and will define a global approach to the ocean in all its dimensions.

Sustainable water management is one of the greatest challenges facing Europe in view of the effects of climate change. Floods and droughts are becoming the norm, as evidenced by the tragic events that have affected Europe in recent years. With regard to the resilience in the water sectorThe Commission is proposing a "source to sea" approach, taking into account the very different challenges faced in different regions and sectors, to ensure that water sources are properly managed, to tackle water scarcity and pollution, and to increase the competitiveness of the European water industry.

5. Protecting our democracy and defending our values will be a priority.

A "democratic shield"The Commission will continue to integrate equality into all its policies, by presenting a number of new proposals. The Commission will continue to integrate equality into all its policies, by presenting a number of new initiatives. new strategies on LGBTIQ people and the fight against racism. A roadmap for women's rights will define, in terms of rights and principles, the ongoing commitment of the European institutions.

6. Use your power and partnerships around the world

On the external front, the priority will continue to be to work towards a stable and secure future for Europe.Ukraine within an enlarged Union, to develop a strategy for the Black Sea and a new pact for the Mediterranean in order to strengthen regional cooperation and develop a new EU-India Strategic Agenda.

7. Achieving our objectives together and preparing our Union for the future 

Over the past five years, the Union has embarked on an ambitious transformation while overcoming generational crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the economic consequences that followed. The EU has adopted innovative legislation to advance the dual transition and strengthen our resilience. It is now essential to give the priority to implementation and to ensure that the Union is ready for the future, both financially and institutionally, by building on a strengthened relationship with the EU institutions.

The Commission will present a new long-term EU budget (multiannual financial framework covering 2028 to 2034). It will be better aligned with the priorities and objectives adopted, and flexibly oriented towards the areas where EU action is most needed. It will be simpler and more effective to operate, and will make better use of the European budget to mobilise more national, private and institutional funding.

Nearly 21 years after the largest wave of enlargement and driven by the ambition to strengthen the Union through an accession process based on merit, we must ensure that we are ready for an enlarged Union. Thanks to the lessons learned from previous enlargements, the EU is now better prepared to be a catalyst for progress and to deepen as it enlarges. The pre-enlargement policy reviews will assess in more detail the consequences and impacts of enlargement on all EU policies, identify gaps, clarify what needs to be done to turn challenges into opportunities, and explore ways to improve the EU's governance and its ability to act quickly, ensuring that policies can continue to deliver effective results in an enlarged Union.

La Commission strengthen its relations with Parliament and the Councilby ensuring transparency, accountability and improved communication and information flows. All Commissioners will have to be present at the European Parliament, engage in dialogue with the Member States and take part in Council meetings. corresponding to their competences. The Commission will rapidly propose a new framework agreement with the European Parliament, while strengthening cooperation on Parliament resolutions requesting the submission of legislative proposals based on Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and will duly justify the use of Article 122 in exceptional and urgent circumstances.

The AEPL's opinion during the dialogue with Parliament on 18 March.

It should be noted that AEPL was able to express its views on the Commission's priorities within the framework of the dialogue provided for in Article 17 of the TFEU. In a letter addressed to the EP VP responsible for this dialogue, Ms Antonella Sberna (Conservatives and Reformists Group, member of Fratelli d'Italia, G. Meloni's party in power in Italy), our main current concerns are the preservation of democracy and the rule of law, which are being called into question by the autocratic or extreme right-wing regimes that are on the rise, the establishment of a genuine Europe of defence and the controlled deployment of artificial intelligence and information tools.

In fact, the former are the object of all-out attacks, even by democracies: the United States of America is a case in point, where the President seems fascinated by strong regimes (Victor Orban in HU) or even dictatorial regimes, such as Russia, whose expansionist or even imperialist aims he does not hesitate to copy, such as the annexation of Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.

In the USA, the dismantling of a series of administrations, either to combat the values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that the new President rejects, or that they are wasteful, or that they oppose conspiracy ideas aimed at advising against vaccines, or denying climate change, for example; the all-out attack on certain universities (Columbia in New York) which means that American researchers in the disciplines concerned by these values are turning to Europe; the insults and threats against judges not appointed by the new President. The repeated attempts to discredit and exclude journalists who dare to seek out the truth and check fake news, the showering of voters (even those of the far-right parties in Europe, cf. AfD) with mountains of dollars (Elon Musk) .... are, alas, practices that have an increasingly powerful echo in our Member States.

It is therefore important and urgent that the European Parliament and the European Commission continue to defend our society and our European values by involving and convincing our fellow citizens as much as possible.

The second priority expressed in this letter is to set up, at breakneck speed, a genuine European defence with all the necessary resources (strategic autonomy, massive support for Ukraine, strengthening our technological and industrial base, giving Europe an integrated political command, and permanent structured cooperation) is finally making concrete headway in the face of intensifying Russian threats and the contempt of the mercantilist Trump administration, whose support for the defence of Europe is becoming more unlikely every day.

The third priority is to give ourselves the means to combat disinformation and propaganda by defending our legislation and forcing it to be respected in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and information. The Twitter network, now X, is an emblematic example of what most of the major American operators in these fields would like to impose on us, as they shamelessly convert to the Trumpist dogmas of "Make America Great Again", abandoning all control over dangerous content on the networks, invoking freedom of expression, but forgetting about the censorship of thousands of web pages of administrations attacked by Trump's new ideology.

In short, AEPL calls on the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission to defend our values and our European way of life, before it is too late.

Taking into account the competences attributed at European level, do you consider that this work programme could be improved? Please let us know.

Eric Paradis

(paradispauleric@gmail.com)

Director, member of the editorial committee

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